CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and the Cleveland Browns can expect a spirited debate on Monday, when they ask City Council to tap the general fund for $2 million in each of the next 15 years for upgrades to the “fan experience” at city-owned FirstEnergy Stadium.

Although council in recent years has become known for its general compliance with the wishes of Jackson’s administration, some members interviewed for this story say they are reluctant to dip into the city’s general fund to pay for flashier scoreboards or faster escalators, when city streets need resurfacing and crime threatens the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

“I’ve got residents calling me, saying, ‘Please don’t support the stadium,’” said Councilman Kevin Conwell. “That stadium is modern enough right now, in my opinion. They’ve got to break out budgets to show me that putting up that money toward improvements won’t affect city services.”

The Browns would cover half of the expense with loans from the NFL and take out a bank loan for the remainder. The city would contribute $30 million over 15 years – estimated at $22 million at the present-day value of the dollar – to offset that cost.

The city also will give the Browns organization more input on how to spend about $12 million of the $24 million already in the stadium's existing capital improvement fund, which is set by the stadium lease and fed by the existing Cuyahoga County tax on alcohol and cigarette sales, known as a sin tax. In exchange for having input on the capital repairs fund, the Browns will allow the city to reduce its payments to the fund in the final years of the lease.

Those payments, however, balloon toward the end of the lease – increasing from $850,000 a year to more than $5 million in the last five years. And the sin tax will expire in 2015 if voters do not approve an extension, leaving the city’s general fund to pick up that tab.

In an interview in February, Jackson said that although he hopes eventually to build into the city budget a $25 million “rainy day” fund, the city would likely finish 2013 with a balance of about $4 million. At the time, Jackson said that a number of unpredictable factors leave him uneasy about heading into 2014 with such a slim cushion.

“So what does $4 million mean?” Jackson said in February. “It sounds like something, but it’s really nothing when you don’t know what the next year will bring.”

Maureen Harper, communications director for the city, did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment on Jackson's earlier budget concerns.

On Tuesday, however, the mayor promised that the city’s $2 million contribution to the stadium would not affect city services.

“I would do nothing to put the city of Cleveland in jeopardy ... or sidetrack or disrupt a councilman's desire to have development in their ward," Jackson said. "It's $2 million a year that is not needed to provide the level of service that we are providing today."

Some City Council members said in interviews this week that agreeing to the expense is premature before the sin tax is renewed.

“I’d much rather deal with the sin tax renewal first,” said Councilman Tony Brancatelli. “It’s only a year away. And if we make this significant commitment up front, I’d like to see the lease extended…. At the end of the day, for us to kick in a couple million dollars out of our own operating budget will cause me to look at this much harder.”

Brancatelli also criticized the Browns’ assertion that the upgrades are primarily to improve the “fan experience," when the expensive scoreboards will boost advertising revenue for the team, he said.

Council President-elect Kevin Kelley said he is inclined to support the deal but wants to see evidence that the improvements are necessary and fall under the city’s obligations.

“I don’t intend to authorize any funds above and beyond our obligations that are contained in that lease,” Kelley said. “That’s my guiding principle. Based on what I’ve seen so far, it seems we won't be asked to do that. But there are many details that need to be learned between now and Monday.”